Kutsu o nuide kudasai. (Please remove your shoes)

[AsahinaKimi]

靴を脱いでください。


Shoeless in a Buddhist temple in Thailand



This question came up recently, and thought I would share the answer for those of you
who are interested..


Sign in front of a Temple


Why in Buddhism do you remove your shoes before entering Buddhist services?

It's unhygienic to wear shoes indoors. Your shoes bring in a lot of dirt and filth from outside -leaves, insects, dog poop, gum, bacteria from the soil- all kinds of unpleasantness. If everyone wears shoes in the hall, it quickly becomes dirty and it may damage or mark the floor coverings. Buddhists like to have things last for a long time.

Shoes are for outside and in the bathroom. While Buddhists are pretty easy going and will let most things slide, you will simply not be allowed in wearing shoes.

Moreover, Buddhists do a lot of kneeling and sitting in lotus position or cross legged. It's not as easy to do that with shoes on.

As previously noted, it's also a mark of respect and simply a cultural and religious convention of etiquette.

Moreover, it's in the monastic code (the Vinaya) for monks and nuns that they are not allowed to teach Buddhism to anyone wearing shoes. Although this technicality is widely ignored, it has influenced the practices of the devout.